Stetson Bennett’s return to Rams sheds some light on mysterious absence

What the Los Angeles Rams accomplished in the 2023 season was certainly a surprise to many. After questions swirled around Matthew Stafford's health, the state of both the offense and defense as a whole, and the strength of the NFC West, it appeared as if the Rams might bottom out. Instead, they answered those questions with aplomb and earned a playoff berth in the process.

However, there was one question that was never answered throughout last year. Quarterback Stetson Bennett IV, who was drafted in the fourth round after winning back-to-back national championships with the Georgia Bulldogs, was initially expected to be Stafford's backup in the QB room. Instead, a shoulder injury hampered him in Week 1 and he was put on the Non-Football Injury (NFI) list and was not heard from for the rest of the 2023 campaign, missing his entire rookie year.

The circumstances around Bennett's absence from the Rams was shrouded in mystery with the franhcise purposefully respecting the quarterback's privacy and keeping details under wraps. But now, OTAs are underway and Bennett is back with the team after already participating in earlier Phases of the offseason workouts. As such, we're starting to get some more details about what transpired.

Stetson Bennett IV back with Rams as details of absence become clearer

Though there aren't concrete terms as to why the Georgia product was away from LA during his rookie season, Rams general manager Les Snead indicated that Bennett may have been suffering from burnout that needed to be remedied based on his comments to News 19 in Alabama:

"I know this: Last year was very beneficial for him. I think he took advantage of that year away from the game," Snead said, (h/t CBS Sports). "You know what, he's an exhausted human being based on everything he had done to walk on, to go to JUCO, to come back, to turn down small schools, say 'I'm going to try to do this Georgia thing.' To win a job, then to win the thing, and then to determine, 'I'm going to come back.' And when you come back, it's really win it again or you failed. And that does take a toll on a human being, so I was jacked for Stetson to be able to take that moment and breathe a little bit."

Bennett's success and journey throughout his college career was widely chronicled but we may have failed to recognize the human element of that. Fighting that hard for that long can take its toll on anyone, especially someone who ended up so prominently in the spotlight. So if he needed a break for his mental health and for his love of football, it's a reasonable conclusion to land on.

Snead lended further credence to that with his comments about how the Rams felt about Bennett's absence, in essence saying that they understood the situation he was in and were more than willing to support their quarterback.

"The responsibility of the QB, and in our sake, we saw what taking a break, giving some guys a break from the game to get refreshed -- I call it, to get bored and fall back in love with the game you grew up playing in the backyard," Snead said. 

And for what it's worth, it seems to have paid off already. Rams head coach Sean McVay has already praised Bennett's work this offseason with his attention to detail, being a sponge for coaches, and having "that look in his eye."

Given how both unlikely and wildly successful the Georgia career of Stetson Bennett IV was, it deserves to be celebrated that his NFL career now seems on track as well. Let's hope this is just the beginning for him and that things really get moving during his second official season in the league but his first full year spent with the Rams.